So Long, Snow Days

APS is moving to asynchronous learning on days schools are closed due to inclement weather. Delayed starts will remain in play.

Inclement weather has always been a hassle for drivers and others forced to brave the elements. But for generations of Albuquerque students, waking up to several inches of snow has been a cause for joy because of the prospect of an unscheduled day off from school.

For many kids, the moments just before the official announcement of a snow day have been dominated by thoughts of snowmen, sledding, or even a lazy day playing video games or in front of the TV. This year, however, they’ll have to fit their sledding and snowman-building sessions around their school work as Albuquerque Public Schools replaces snow days with asynchronous learning days.

What that means is that rather than getting a day off from school to play in the snow or watch television, APS students will be expected to complete lessons at home on days schools are closed due to inclement weather.

APS employees, except for teachers and education paraprofessionals, will be expected to report to work as soon as safely possible. Teachers and educational assistants may work from home or at their school on those days. 

Teachers may:

• Create and post assignments for students to complete on their own via Google Classroom or another platform;
• Maintain office hours online to support students with assignments, or offer tutoring;
• Use other instructional practices to ensure that students are learning.

Students who don’t have access to a digital device or the internet will be given additional time to complete assignments in class when they return.

So what happens to the two-hour weather delays under this new approach?

Delayed starts are still a possibility, and there’s no expectation that students hit the books while they wait for the snow to melt so their buses can pick them up.

Other Asynchronous Learning Days 

Asynchronous learning days will also be used for high school testing days and graduation days:

• On Oct. 4 when sophomores are on campus taking the PSAT, freshmen, juniors, and seniors will be learning from home.

• On March 21, when juniors are on campus taking the SAT, freshmen, sophomores, and seniors will be doing asynchronous learning from home.

• And during graduation week, freshmen, sophomores, and juniors will be studying at home on the day the seniors at their school graduate.

The asynchronous learning days were built into the 2023-2024 calendar approved by the Board of Education in April.